http://www.barbarasatthebrewery.com/ Located downtown in the Old Pabst Blue Ribbon Brewery (now the nation's largest artist complex), this former loft has been transformed into a chic restaurant with a full bar and a display of contemporary art. We recommend the exquisite grilled portobello mushroom on white bean ragout and grilled peppers ($12), or the tri-tip sandwich on Armenian stone bread ($8). Lunch Mon.-Fri., dinner Mon.-Sat. Full bar; takeout; catering. AE, MC, V. More >>

http://www.biplanefun.com BiPlane Fun is a business in Westminster that provides scenic rides along the coast in a restored 1943 World War II Stearman Biplane. You can request as many loops, rolls and spins as your stomach can take, as each flight is personally customized to the lone passenger. But this is no inexpensive ride. The cost is $295 for half an hour of air time, $395 for 45 minutes (recommended as just the right amount of time to settle in and enjoy the ride) and $495 for a full hour. Yep, at those prices, this is definitely a special-occasion experience for us working stiffs. But how many times are you going to get a chance to fly in a biplane in this lifetime? The pilot, a fully licensed flight instructor, will even let you turn the stick and control the rudder if you so desire. While BiPlane Fun is a local company, its Stearman is not hangared here: You take off from Compton Airport. Reservations are a must, but generally, if you call midweek, they can squeeze you in that weekend. More >>

http://www.boathousecollective.com Boathouse Collective is a Japanese restaurant in Costa Mesa. Garlands of lightbulbs crisscross overhead. And on long communal picnic tables, groups of people will eat, drink, take selfies and sing “Happy Birthday” in an asphalt courtyard with potted trees and an herb garden. If a joyous summer-night wedding banquet were ever to be held at a Home Depot Garden Center, it would probably look something like this. The chef is Mathieu Royer, once a cook at Pizzeria Ortica, Hinoki and the Bird, and Morimoto, now inventor of dishes that demonstrate the Japanese virtue of artistic restraint. His grilled swordfish is a lone hunk of snowy moistness floating atop a Thai coconut curry with waves of potatoes sliced long and thin. A Zen-garden arrangement of crisp-skinned roasted fingerlings is further proof, a side dish found on the vegetarian side of the menu, where a halved purple potato leans on the humps of the yellows as it gazes into a puddle of lemon aioli, contemplating the meaning of life. More >>

http://www.boudinbakery.com Yes, the place thrives on its famous sourdough, used in just about every sandwich, even the burger. It's good bread with a plate-armor crust and an interior crumb with that patented sour tang, which is best enjoyed with just a smear of butter. If you must, opt for the loaves to be used as edible bowls to cradle the clam chowder and the chili. Or better yet order the wonderful salads, where you get a sourdough roll included, with a pat of butter along with it, of course. More >>